Stranger Than Normal
by sapphireswimming
Summary: Twoshot. The Elric brothers hang out with Team Phantom at the Nasty Burger.
1. Chapter 1

**A short little crossover set in Amity Park.**

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**Stranger Than Normal**

March 16, 2013

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They walked into the Nasty Burger as a unit, on the lookout for any strange (well, stranger than normal) looks tossed their way. Ed was especially paranoid about someone discovering Al's secret, which, though justified to some extent, seemed unnecessary to the rest of Team Phantom. This was the most haunted city in the world and besides, body-less armor didn't have the same consequences here as it apparently did in Amestris. Still, Ed was being particularly annoying and on edge as they entered the restaurant.

They stepped up to the long line and by the time they got to the middle and no one was stopping them, Ed began to loosen up enough to talk to the rest of them instead of glaring daggers at every single teenager who happened to look their way (which was what actually made them look in the first place).

"So, Alphonse, do you know what you're getting?" Tucker asked absently as he eyed the menu.

"Ummm…" Al froze, as did everyone else in the group. They were pretty sure they'd gone over this before. "I'm not going to have anything. I'm not very hungry. I had something to eat right before we left, so…" his high voice trailed off at the end of his rambling.

Tucker still didn't seem to know what he had said wrong, but he did understand that he had done something what with Sam sticking him in the ribs and everyone else staring at him.

"It's okay, Alphonse," Ed said with a stiff crack to the arm. "I'll eat enough for the both of us, 'kay?"

Tucker cleared his throat and decided to lighten the mood the only way he knew how. Turning to Ed, he challenged, "Well bet you can't eat four mega mighty meaty melts and all the fries." He smirked when the boy's eyes glittered gold at the idea.

"Bet you can't eat _five_."

"You're on!"

"Whoa," Danny's eyes went wide, impressed with the stakes.

"But brother," Alphonse protested, "you don't even know what those are!"

"I know, Al, but we both know that whatever they are, I am more than up to the task."

Sam rolled her eyes while muttering something sounding suspiciously like, "boys."

Danny laughed and began to gleefully knock Al where his ribs should have been and raised the bets on which boy could consume the most food. He and Al both seemed to have insider information about their man and spirits were running high as they claimed a booth and pulled over a spare table.

A team of staff had to bring the order out in batches and if armor's eye sockets could have widened, Al's did so. Tucker smirked as he laid out his food. Ed stared at it all for a while until a big grin threatened to split his face.

"Ready?" Ed asked.

"Set?" Tucker responded.

"Wait wait wait, guys!" Danny protested with outstretched arms. "We haven't figured out rules yet!"

"GO!" they both shouted as they dove for their first burger.

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**For once, I can almost guarantee that there will be a part two. ;)**


	2. Chapter 2

**A short little crossover set in Amity Park.**

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**Stranger Than Normal, pt. 2  
**

March 24, 2013

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"Hey Tuck, you still have a fry left."

"Grhhhhhn," he managed.

"Thanks," Danny said as he grabbed the last sliver of potato out of the basket and crunched loudly on it, grinning over Ed and Tucker who were both lounging over the table, bellies protruding and faces somewhere between ecstasy and agony.

Sam smirked. "Alright, who's up for dessert?"

Groans.

"Fine, I'll just go get ice cream by myself. Danny, you coming with me?"

At the suggestion of dessert, everyone leapt from the table to join her in line and she laughed until sobering down enough to order a dairy free ice cream.

Ed's brow furrowed at the strange order. "What's that?"

"It's fake ice cream," Tucker helpfully supplied. Sam whacked him upside the head.

"It's ice cream without the milk." She said pointedly.

"Because she's an ultra recycle vegetarian," Danny explained at Ed's odd look. "So she doesn't eat anything with a face. And sometimes she doesn't eat stuff that comes from stuff with a face."

Sam rolled her eyes. "Yeah, whatever." Then she looked at Ed, whose face had drained of all color. "Hey, you okay?" She reached out a hand to steady him. "I know what I do might seem a little weird to you, but it's not…"

Ed's mouth seemed to be working up and down, silently. Then his mouth began to tremble. "There's milk in ice cream?"

"… yes…?"

"Al!" he burst out, limbs quivering in jerky spasms. "You traitor, you knew; why didn't you ever tell me?"

"Well I knew that you liked it but you wouldn't if you knew and I didn't want to deprive you so I just… didn't tell you."

"And you didn't think this would be a problem when I found out?"

"No one was going to tell you," his younger brother protested.

"Oh sure, Mustang wasn't going to…?"

"Brother," Al interrupted. "If he was going to tell you that there was milk in ice cream, he would have done it a long time ago."

Ed groused and stamped from one foot to another in a strange hop dance. "It still doesn't… grr… you should have…!"

"But you like stew even though it has milk in it. You thought it was brilliant, remember? The stuff to which scientists should strive."

"That's different, Al! That's… that's…"

Sam stopped the tirade by putting a dish of ice cream into his hands. "Here, try this. It doesn't have any milk."

His cheeks flushed as he realized how much he had been ranting and how everyone was staring at him now. He slowly pulled out a spoonful of the stuff and put it in his mouth as he scrunched his eyes tight and appeared to be expecting the worst.

Sam huffed and crossed her arms as she watched. Everyone else leaned forward expectantly, not caring that they were next in line to order and holding up the other customers. The boys passed knowing grins between them and Alphonse hoped beyond all hope that his brother would be placated rather than riled up by the food.

Incredibly enough, an expression of pure bliss and incredulity spread across the irritated boy's face. When he finally opened his eyes, they glistened and he looked ready to hug Sam, who quickly backed away but then smiled.

"I take it you like it."

"Like it? Like it? I love it! It's fantastic. It's just like ice cream, even better than the stuff back home. And it doesn't have milk! You're sure it doesn't have milk?"

"Quite sure," they all laughed.

"This is awesome!"

"Hey, if you think that's cool, wait till I introduce you to milk without the milk."

Ed's eyes opened wide and he gaped at Sam.

"What do you mean by that? You can have milk without the milk? What kind of magician are you?"

"It's milk from almonds or coconuts or soy beans or something. So it tastes mostly like milk except it doesn't come from a cow."

"Doesn't… come from a cow…?" Ed repeated numbly.

"Brother, that's great!"

Ed fell on his knees. "Take me! Show me the infinite ways of your new scientific magic ness. Take me to the cow-less milk!" Sam tried to brush him off but he grabbed her boots. "Now! I must see it!"

"Brother…" Al admonished.

"NOW!"

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**Look at that, there really _was_ a part , that's the end of this one, but I do have a couple more crossover ideas in the works. ;)  
**


End file.
